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sanjreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dapplezee's review against another edition
4.0
The title / blurb led me to expect some fantasy elements, but this is a realistic story about life in India’s slums told from the point of view of a young boy. Much sadder than I anticipated, but moving. I am glad I read it even though I was looking for something else! :)
sarah3mathew's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Djinn Patrol is ultimately a story about growing up poor in India.
The narrator and his best friends live in a basti, a temporary housing area turned poor, permanent neighborhood. When one of their classmates goes missing and the police won't help, the trio decide to look for him on their own.
Being a detective turns out to be more difficult than 9-year old Jai suspected. In the meantime, more kids are going missing.
We get to experience life from Jai's perspective, and in smaller doses from that of the missing kids. In the course of the story, Anappara touches on many social concerns, including police negligence and corruption, religious intolerance and weaponization of same, gender inequality and child labor.
Though the book blurb makes it seem almost like a YA urban fantasy, this is not the case. It's a heartwarming, amusing, horrifying and sobering examination among some of the world's poorest. As such, some of the turns in the plot took me a bit by surprise.
The writing is quite good. The author chooses not to spend a lot of time dwelling on the meanings of various Indian words, leaving it to the reader to absorb them from context, look them up, or be satisfied with a general sense of the meaning without specifics. This was the only downside of listening to the audiobook, as a lack of text made guessing the spellings difficult. But despite this, I had no trouble following along.
The narrator and his best friends live in a basti, a temporary housing area turned poor, permanent neighborhood. When one of their classmates goes missing and the police won't help, the trio decide to look for him on their own.
Being a detective turns out to be more difficult than 9-year old Jai suspected. In the meantime, more kids are going missing.
We get to experience life from Jai's perspective, and in smaller doses from that of the missing kids. In the course of the story, Anappara touches on many social concerns, including police negligence and corruption, religious intolerance and weaponization of same, gender inequality and child labor.
Though the book blurb makes it seem almost like a YA urban fantasy, this is not the case. It's a heartwarming, amusing, horrifying and sobering examination among some of the world's poorest. As such, some of the turns in the plot took me a bit by surprise.
The writing is quite good. The author chooses not to spend a lot of time dwelling on the meanings of various Indian words, leaving it to the reader to absorb them from context, look them up, or be satisfied with a general sense of the meaning without specifics. This was the only downside of listening to the audiobook, as a lack of text made guessing the spellings difficult. But despite this, I had no trouble following along.
mngwa's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookishbrainfart's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
somehow this author manages to make difficult and complex topic where often only the purptrators get in the news and the people affected are at best treated as helpless victims, and make it a story that is interesting and does not make the individuals out to be merely the sum of their oppressions.